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I am very depressed with my listening capability?

Hi all,
I have been staying in US for more than 6 years now and still have a hard time understanding native conversations in movies and tv episodes.
Those sentences I heard were of fragments rather than completed ones.
I, however, am able to understand "narrative speeches", like those from news and documented tv episodes and have no problems of getting good score on Toefl's listening part.

Since I am going back to my hometown this year, I am getting more desperate to master the listening.

Sometimes my comprehension of an english movie can be down to like 10-20% and this is what makes me very depressed.

I hope that someone who has gone through what i am going through now but managed to understand daily conversations in native setting to give his/her best advices to me so that I can move in a right direction.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Re: I am very depressed with my listening capability?

There are various reasons why you might have trouble understanding the dialog in TV shows or movies....sometimes there is background music that is too loud, or the character mumbles or has an accent. Also, the actors on TV and in films have memorized their lines, so they tend to speak more rapidly than non-actors do in everyday conversation. (I have a bit of hearing loss, and I've noticed that in the past few years I've avoided going to the cinema to see movies, because I sometimes have trouble understanding parts of the dialog. If I wait until the movie is released on DVD I can watch it at home and turn on the closed captions. )

When you're speaking to someone in person, you not only listen to their words you also watch their facial expressions and body language. All of these things combined help you to understand what is being said. The tone and volume of their voice also gives you clues as to what they're saying. Movie and TV actors don't really speak like "real" people when they're reciting dialog - they're "performing," not speaking, and doing so under instructions from the director.

Re: I am very depressed with my listening capability?

Originally Posted by Ouisch

There are various reasons why you might have trouble understanding the dialog in TV shows or movies....sometimes there is background music that is too loud, or the character mumbles or has an accent. Also, the actors on TV and in films have memorized their lines, so they tend to speak more rapidly than non-actors do in everyday conversation. (I have a bit of hearing loss, and I've noticed that in the past few years I've avoided going to the cinema to see movies, because I sometimes have trouble understanding parts of the dialog. If I wait until the movie is released on DVD I can watch it at home and turn on the closed captions. )

When you're speaking to someone in person, you not only listen to their words you also watch their facial expressions and body language. All of these things combined help you to understand what is being said. The tone and volume of their voice also gives you clues as to what they're saying. Movie and TV actors don't really speak like "real" people when they're reciting dialog - they're "performing," not speaking, and doing so under instructions from the director.

thank you for the valuable advice, especially from a native english speaker.

Re: I am very depressed with my listening capability?

Originally Posted by nomisme

Hi all,
I have been staying in US for more than 6 years now and still have a hard time understanding native conversations in movies and tv episodes.
Those sentences I heard were of fragments rather than completed ones.
I, however, am able to understand "narrative speeches", like those from news and documented tv episodes and have no problems of getting good score on Toefl's listening part.

Since I am going back to my hometown this year, I am getting more desperate to master the listening.

Sometimes my comprehension of an english movie can be down to like 10-20% and this is what makes me very depressed.

I hope that someone who has gone through what i am going through now but managed to understand daily conversations in native setting to give his/her best advices to me so that I can move in a right direction.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thank you

***** NOT A TEACHER *****

Good afternoon, Nomisme.

I do not know whether this advice is helpful, but I have read

that many learners make a big mistake when they listen: they try

to hear every word and to understand every word. I think that

some teachers advise that you relax and try to get the general idea.

It's like reading: do not stop to use a dictionary for every word. Just

read and look up a few words that keep appearing in the article.

Best of luck to you.

*****

P . S. You said that you are returning home soon and are eager to really

improve. Is there any chance to get a native speaker as a daily friend?